(Listen to a Spanish Podcast — Scientists are tracking the pulse of our planet, studying how climate change is impacting plants and animals. And they want your help! Learn more about this effort and find out how you can sign up.)

Este “podcast” es un producto de el United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

Transcript – English Translation

Tracking the Pulse of Our Planet: You Can Help!

Esmeralda:

Hi everyone and thank you for listening in today. I’m your host, Esmeralda Campos. Scientists are tracking the pulse of our planet, studying how climate change is impacting plants and animals. And they want your help. To learn more about this effort and find out how you can sign up, let’s chat with Alyssa Rosemartin, who is the Assistant Director of the National Phenology Network, as well as Matthew Larsen, who is the Associate Director of Climate and Land Use Change with the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS. Alyssa and Matt, thank you both for joining us today.

Alyssa:

Thank you, Esmeralda, it’s a pleasure to join you and to share a little about the program.

Matt:

Esmeralda, it’s a pleasure to be here with all of you.

Esmeralda:

Alyssa, can you tell us about the National Phenology Network? What are the goals of the program?

Alyssa:

Well, everyone knows something already about seasonal changes in plant and animal life cycles. We watch out for spring blooms, monarchs passing through and leaves changing color in the fall. At the National Phenology Network, we are working to gather up observations like these of plant and animal life cycle events from people around the country. This information is already being used or will be used in ways that benefit society, including developing more accurate indicators of spring, forecasting the onset of allergy season or the chances of western wildfires, managing wildlife and invasive plants, and setting baselines for performance when restoring habitats.

Esmeralda:

This is a great program. Can you tell us how you are asking for the public’s help and the value of their observations to your network?

Alyssa:

To answer the big questions and provide the real benefit to society, we need data from across the country, and that’s where you come in. By joining the USA-NPN’s program, Nature’s Notebook, and tracking what’s happening to plants and animals in your area, you can contribute to scientific discovery, as well as get to see nature in a new way, through the seasons. You don’t need to be an expert, you’ll probably find species to observe in your back yard.

Esmeralda:

Matt, as a key collaborator of the National Phenology Network, can you tell us your perspective and that of the United States Geological Survey on this network?

Matt:

Okay, the USGS is a natural science agency of the federal government. The function of our agency is to provide basic natural science information to the public, Congress, and other federal and local agencies. As such, USGS scientists work in ecology, hydrology, geology, and geography. Climate change is a fundamental part of all of these scientific disciplines and the NPN is important for our understanding of many aspects of climate change.

Esmeralda:

Alyssa, what successes have you seen so far with this program?

Alyssa:

Thanks, Esmeralda. Yes, we have seen a few early successes. For example, estimates of the changing arrival of spring have been developed using USA-NPN’s lilac data, and have been submitted for inclusion in the 2013 National Climate Assessment. This comprehensive report will be assembled by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (with the White House) to describe observed and projected climate impacts on people, plants, animals and ecosystems across the United States.

We are also excited to be nearing the millionth observation record in our database, as ultimately, its large quantities of broadly distributed data that will help understand and adapt to a changing climate.

Esmeralda:

Do either of you have concluding thoughts to share with us today?

Matt:

Well, there is more and more scientific evidence that the climate is changing. We see evidence in the records of air temperature, in sea-surface temperature, in the quantity of snow versus rain that accumulates in various parts of the country, and also in the time of year when snowpack begins to melt, especially in the western part of North America and in the northeastern United States. Important data produced by the NPN, collected by all of the observers who participate in the network, are those data that tell us when natural patterns are changing. This information, which varies across the Nation and the world, is fundamental in improving our understanding of our natural environment and is also crucial with respect to important aspects of our national economy, like agriculture.

Alyssa:

I’d like to thank the many volunteers who contribute to Nature’s Notebook, as well as our sponsors and partners, led by USGS, and including several federal organizations, universities and non-government organizations. We are truly a network of partners, and are grateful for the broad participation we have seen so far in our efforts.

Esmeralda:

Thank you Alyssa and Matt for joining us, and thank you to all of our listeners. For more information about the NPN, and to sign up to participate, visit their homepage at www.usanpn.org.

This podcast is a product of the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.